


chaos

by perhapssoon



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: F/F, F/M, Human!Squip - Freeform, Jeremy is trying to help, M/M, More tags to be added, but hes a defective squip, calm down hes trying his best, forced dates with Christine but it’s kinda cute, idk what else to tag, reverse au, squip!jeremy, squippo is fed up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-07 02:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14661366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perhapssoon/pseuds/perhapssoon
Summary: In order to become more efficient with their emotions, Stephen Priege accidentally receives a faulty SQUIP, one who claims to have emotions, a gender, and a name. Through forced dates, terrible parties, secret facilities and that one creepy house sitting on the end of the street, Stephen learns that they don’t really need a SQUIP to function through everything. Though friends do tend to help.Or: The SQUIP and Jeremy switch roles. Things don’t really go as planned.





	1. database subject

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo what is this mess. I tried. Please help me.

_Subject:_ Stephen Q.U.I. Priege  


 _Objective:_ Obtain a Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor (SQUIP)

\-----

 _First Name:_ Stephen

 _Last Name:_ Priege

 _Age:_ 16

 _Hair Color:_ White (dyed)

 _Eye Color:_ Blue

 _Gender:_ Non-binary (They/Them pronouns)

 _Sexuality:_ Declined to answer

 _Grade:_ 11th

 _AutoBio (recording):_ “Hey weird interview people who I don’t know. I’m Stephen Priege, that One Guy With Too Many Middle Names To Even Bother to List Them All Out. How many, you ask? Three. Three whole fucking extra names to write on all those dumbass files in doctor offices and applications desks. Anyways. I go to Middle Borough High School, which sounds like just a plain old high school. It’s not; it’s actually _hell_. The social classes here are really strict. It took me two years in order to get me into the highest order, made up of people named Jake Dillinger, Chloe Valentine, Brooke Lohst, and Rich Goranski. Rich and Brooke really aren’t that bad. When you think about it, none of them are _that_ bad; they’re just really really stuck-up. I guess I can safely say I tend to be like them too: stuck-up, a prick, rude, and ignorant of everything and everyone. And secret-keeper to a fair share of disturbing things that I definitely _won’t_ share on here. So yeah, hate me if you want, but I did work hard to get this far, and I don’t intend on falling back to social classes where people like Michael Mell are in. Besides, these people are the only ones who are willing to talk to me. My parents, on the other side of my personal life, are fucking idiots. That’s all I really need to say. They divorced when I was five, so they have shared custody on me, which is pretty much the only thing they agreed on. They even refuse to talk to each other directly, so I have to be some kind of translator for whatever shit they decide to yell. So that’s fun. Another thing: my dad drinks. A lot. I think that’s part of the reason why Mom divorced him (the money was getting to be a problem), and the other part is that they only married because they had an accidental child after sex. Me. The only good thing about them is that they don’t care what I do with my life, so that gives me a fuck ton of freedom. I wish someone cared about me.”

 _Why Subject is Allowed to be Given Objective:_ “I need to fix my life. I don’t need a SQUIP to be popular. I need it to make me stable. The only thing keeping me together right now are quite literally strands of bone and skin. The popularity is exhausting, home life is fucked up, and my grades are teetering (the only thing my parents care about when it comes to me). I need balance, and while I’m not sure if a SQUIP can do that, I mentioned some of this shit to my friend Rich, and he recommended this stuff to me. I’m gonna try it out and it’s ride or die right now. I’m literally dying, so it’d be nice for something different.”

 _Objective confirmed?_ [ **yes** ] [no]


	2. chill pills (but defective)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen gets a SQUIP. It goes worse than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone reading this?

"Seriously, why do I need to take this thing?"

Rich grinned at his friend. "So you can be cool! Well, I mean, you're already pretty cool--"

"Thanks."

"--but this is supposed to upgrade you or something. C'mon! Try it out!"

Stephen fixed their friend with a death glare. "Fine, but if anything happens, it's on _you_."

Rich raised his hands in defeat, wearing a shit-eating grin all the while. "Yep! Now, take the pill." He accompanied the word 'pill' with a voice drop an octave lower and arm waves that made Stephen laugh, despite themself. 

"Okay, okay, fine." Using the Mountain Dew on the table between them, Stephen popped the pill into their mouth and downed it in one go.

Rich watched him anxiously. "Do you feel anything?"

Stephen paused, thinking. They certainly didn't _feel_ any different. "No?"

Rich looked disappointed. "So that means it didn't work. When I got my SQUIP, it was really painful when they accessed all of my memory. Like shocking my brain or something. It hurt. A lot."

"Wow, that makes me feel so much better," Stephen replied sarcastically.

They sat in several minutes of silence before Rich spoke again. "So...whaddya want to do now? Go check out Hot Topic?"

Stephen snorted. "Only you, Rich. Only you."

Rich pouted. "Okay, don't give me shit for liking that stuff, Steph! You like some of that, don't you?"

"Fine," Stephen made to stand and the floor suddenly tilted. They staggered into the table and Rich leaped up to steady them. 

"Woah there, are you okay?" Rich asked, concern written across his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I just--" Stephen rubbed their temples. "Shit, that was super weird. It was like the whole room just tilted."

"You think that pill might be contaminated?" Rich glanced back at the half-empty bottle of Mountain Dew and back again. "Steph?"

Stephen wasn't listening. There was a voice in the back of their head that _definitely_ wasn't theirs, whispering, _'Discomfort level may increase'_

The urge to vomit presented itself to Stephen so suddenly, it was all they could do to stumble to the trash can and empty the contents of their stomach into the bin. Rich was besides them in an instant. "Fuck. Steph, just breathe, okay? I think that might be the SQUIP."

"Yeah, no kidding," Stephen managed to choke out. The stench of their vomit was overwhelming and they pushed themself away, nearly falling to the floor. 

_'Accessing neural memory. Accessing muscle memory. Access procedure complete."_

The pain vanished and Stephen was able to stand, bracing themself against the wall. "What--"

_'Stephen Priege, welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor: your SQUIP. However, you may address me as Jeremy Heere.'_

Stephen looked up. Their SQUIP seemed to be about their own age, and flickering purple. "Wow."

"It's working?" Rich stared in the same direction but since he couldn't see anything, switched back to watching Stephen. "What's it look like?"

"It says its name is Jeremy Heere," Stephen replied, still studying their SQUIP. 

_'If it were easier to address me, I also go by he/him'_ Jeremy said helpfully.

"I can address it as he/him," Stephen repeated.

"What's he look like?" Rich said again. "Because if I was honest, mine sometimes looks like an Evil Kermit. It glows green. Not really the best image."

"Is it supposed to glow green?" Stephen asked, eyes still on Jeremy in front of them. "Mine's purple."

"Oh man," Rich actually looked worried now. "That could be bad. I think the default is supposed to be green unless you specify otherwise."

Stephen glanced at their friend. "So what does that mean?"

Rich only shrugged. "I would ask the dude behind Payless but I don't know where he goes for lunch."

A cell phone rang through their mutual silence and Rich fished it out of his pocket. "Oh, it's Jake. I forgot I was gonna meet him today. See you around, Steph!"

Stephen waved absentmindedly as Rich dashed off. "So, um, what do you do?"

_'I exist to improve your life!'_ was the reply.

"Oh. Cool, I guess."

_'You might want to think at me instead of talking. It looks a bit weird, not that anyone cares anyway.'_

_Like this?_

_'Perfect!'_

Stephen sighed. _Okay, Jeremy, what do you think I need to do?_

_'Well, you are already popular,'_ the SQUIP started slowly, as if he hadn't realized it before. _'Do you have any goals right now?'_

_No?_

Jeremy sounded a bit skeptical. _'Really? Uh, I don't know if you mind that I poke around in your brain for a bit--'_

_I do mind._

_'--but I see you have some problems going on regarding identity and parental issues. I may be able to help with that.'_

_How exactly would you help?_ Stephen focused on keeping up a conversation with Jeremy and walking. It seemed to go well, for the most part.

_'I'm not entirely sure yet, but if we--oh sorry!'_

Stephen stiffened as a short blast of electricity shocked them. It made them change course and nearly crash headlong into a shop's doors. 

_'Just go inside. Cover it up.'_

Stephen followed Jeremy's advice. They supposed they needed to trust the SQUIP in order for anything to work out for them, though they were doubtful on the effectiveness of the plans. _Okay._

They pushed open the door and went inside, their SQUIP floating along behind them. _What am I supposed to do now?_

_'Buy a shirt. You need to change your style of clothing. Are you an introvert?'_

_I can be._ Stephen strode to the clothing section and blankly stared at the shirts laid out in front of him.

Jeremy gave pause, examining the teen in front of him before shaking his head. _'Nah, you definitely are an introvert.'_

_Did I ask for your opinion?_ Stephen turned to face their SQUIP with a glare. Jeremy backed down, hands raised in surrender. 

_‘Apologies. As your SQUIP, I can read your mind, and discern truth from lie. From what your brain has told me, you have to--’_

_Just shut up, okay?_ Stephen turned back to face the shirts, all too aware of a nearby employee watching them nervously. _You’re making me act like an idiot._

Jeremy chose to ignore that comment, instead investigating the shirts. _‘How about that shirt?’_ he asked, pointing to something Stephen really didn’t want to look at for the time being.

_That’s a girl’s shirt._ Stephen replied, clenching their teeth in annoyance. If their SQUIP was broken, like Rich had implied, then they wouldn’t be surprised. It seemed like all Jeremy wanted to do was ruin their life.

_‘That’s not true!’_ Jeremy protested. _‘My programming is specific to improve my host’s life, not destroy it!’_

_Whatever. Can you please just tell me which shirt to pick out?_

_‘That shirt. The blue one. I believe you know it as a “polo”’_

Stephen was seriously doubting their decision now. None of this seemed worth it. _Are you kidding me? Rich is going to have a fit if he sees me in that!_

_‘There is a distinct possibility that he won’t,’_ was the reply. Jeremy seemed certain, and when you have a powerful quantum computer in your brain, you can’t help to trust it. So Stephen followed his advice and bought it, internally cringing all the while. 

_That’s going to give Jake a mini seizure. Seriously, he will die laughing if he sees this shirt._

_‘There technically isn’t a way to have a seizure from laughing. And I assure you, he won’t laugh.’_

_You’re kidding, right?_

_‘I can’t lie, Stephen. I’m an AI.’_

_A pretty faulty one at that._

Jeremy ignored that comment as well and gestured to the door. _‘Better leave while you can or else--’_

The door in front of Stephen swung open so suddenly, they had to flatten themselves against the wall to avoid being hit by a multitude of shopping bags. 

The voice emanating from the midst of the colorful plastic, was identified, to Stephen’s horror, as Chloe’s. “Stephen? What are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao so basically Stephen’s gonna go the opposite way as Jeremy did. Stay tuned.


	3. what a mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen has a chat with Brooke. It’s full of sexual tension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo here comes the awkwardness. Stephen is an awkward kid. Deal with it.

_Fuck._

_'I would reprimand you for swearing, but I wholeheartedly agree.'_

_What the hell am I supposed to do now?_

_'Act natural.'_ was the reply.  Stephen rolled their eyes.

_What great advice._

"Hey Stephen!" Chloe greeted.  "What are you doing here?"

Stephen managed to discreetly shove the shirt behind their back.  "Just looking," he replied breezily.

Chloe nodded and turned to someone outside of the store.  "Brooke, what are you doing? Come inside!"

After a few seconds, Brooke's head emerged from the mass of shopping bags. "Oh, hey Stephen," she smiled, fluttering her eyelashes.  Stephen pointedly looked away. "You here to help us shop?"

Stephen shook their head.  "Actually, I was just leaving."

"Got a date?" Chloe asked, eyes glittering, and Stephen shook their head again.

"You know I'm not dating anyone, Chlo," Stephen replied, shifting from one leg to another.  They were getting uncomfortable. Jeremy seemed to sense this, as he floated curiously to face Stephen.

 _'It is interesting,'_ the SQUIP mused, _'that you are popular yet haven't dated yet.'_

_Shut up!_

"So," Brooke was saying, "Chloe and I were just returning some stuff, but this is our last stop.  Do you want a ride home with us?"

_Okay, Jeremy, this is literally what your job is: what do I do?_

_'Leave.'_

Stephen blinked.   _Leave? But why--_

 _'Don't ask questions!'_ Jeremy's voice was uncharacteristically sharp, followed by a short blast of electricity that moved Stephen's body against their will.

_What the hell?_

"What the-- Stephen??" Brooke shrieked, as Stephen was forced to jerkily walk past them and made to push open the door.  "Where are you going?"

"I--"

_'Quiet.'_

Stephen's mouth closed against their will once more and they shoved the door open, nearly tripped walking through the door frame, and staggered off down the block.  Only when the store was out of sight did Jeremy give control back to Stephen.

_What the fuck was that about?_

_'You were uncomfortable,'_ Jeremy explained, looking slightly apologetic. _'So I got you out of there.'_

_I could've talked my way out!  Now I won't be able to look them in the eye for weeks!'_

_'No you wouldn't have.  You would've probably damaged your reputation.'_

_Probably?_ Stephen parked themselves on a bench, too overcome with horror and anger to really concentrate on walking and thinking.   _You're a computer!  There isn't a probably!_

Jeremy sighed, the noise sounding like static. _'You're right, of course, there may be a possibility that I'm defective...'_

_I'm pretty sure you are.  You're supposed to glow green, and instead, you're purple. You literally don't help me at all. And you have a binary gender and a name.  What computer does that? Does any SQUIP have a name?_

Jeremy looked slightly put off.   _'I don't know.  For now, let's just say I am functional.'_

 _That's pretty hard to believe._ Stephen stood, still clenching the polo shirt in one hand. They shoved it into their pocket.   _I'm going home._

_'No! You need frozen yogurt!'_

Stephen froze. _Frozen yogurt?  What the hell? Why?_

_'My processing system predicts that something good will happen if you go there.'_

_Okay, but it's pretty much established that you aren't working right._

_'Just follow my orders, Stephen.  I don't like controlling and shocking you, but I may have to in order to get you a better life.'_

Upon the threat of shocking, Stephen turned on their heel and marched off in the direction of Pinkberry. _Fine.  Geez, this is really annoying._

When Stephen pushed the door to the frozen yogurt shop open, they were met by Brooke.  Surprisingly without Chloe. 

"Hey Stephen!" Brooke waved.  "You here for frozen yogurt?"

"Yeah. Why else would I be here?"

Brooke giggled.  "Right. Well, come join me outside when you finish ordering!"  She squeezed past Stephen in the doorway, her body dangerously close to them, and found an empty table to sit at.  Stephen sighed and made his way over to the counter. The cashier there looked incredibly bored. Stephen recognized her as the woman who only worked on Tuesdays.  Except today was a Monday. 

"What will you have today?" Even her voice sounded monotone and Stephen internally winced.  Flat voices always threw them off because they always needed some emotion to go by.

_'What do you usually order?'_

_Can't you look in my brain to figure it out?_

_'I have a feeling if I did that, you would be even more upset.'_

_No shit, Sherlock._

_'Well, if you aren't going to tell me, just order the vanilla one.  Seems the safest, and Brooke most likely isn't going to try it steal it from you.'_

_Why would she steal it from me?_

_'She likes you,'_ was the answer.  Jeremy looked exasperated for once.   _'You haven't noticed that?'_

_I'm not really that into her._

_'Just order.'_

"Vanilla bean," Stephen replied, voice lowering slightly to match the cashier's blank tone. There was a brief spark of surprise in the cashier's eyes before she turned away to fill a cup.

Three minutes later, Stephen was back outside with Brooke, the latter having already gotten a second serving.

"Sorry," Brooke explained as she stirred her yogurt around absentmindedly, "I really like frozen yogurt."

"I can tell," Stephen joked, forcing a smile onto their face.

Brooke smiled coyly.  "Do _you_ like frozen yogurt?"

_Is there a specific answer to this?_

Jeremy rolled his eyes. _'Has anyone ever hit on you?  Ever?'_

_No?  I mean, no one tries to anyway because of my social status. Because Chloe hates me, she never does, and Rich and Jake are pretty much already dating by how much "bro stuff" they do.  Brooke's never really acknowledged me because of Chloe--_

_'Okay, I get it. Just..go along with it, alright?'_

_So what am I supposed to say?_

Jeremy only looked apologetic. _'I don't know what to do.  My best guess is to follow her lead...'_

_Wait wait wait, you fucking don't even know how to handle this? You're a freaking SQUIP!_

"Uh, no." Stephen said, fully aware of the situation they were getting themselves into.

Brooke flushed slightly.  "So you came here for a different reason?"

"Uhh," Stephen trailed off.   _I fucking can't talk to her right now! What the fuck is going on?_

 _'She's hitting on you. Just go with it,'_ Jeremy repeated.

"...yes."

Brooke nodded slowly, biting her bottom lip in what Stephen supposed was intended to be sexy. "Cool." She then changed the subject so abruptly, Stephen wondered briefly if _she_ had a SQUIP.

_'She doesn't.'_

"Can I have the rest of your yogurt if you're not gonna eat it?"

Stephen blinked, glancing down to their bowl and back up again.  "Sure." They pushed the bowl over to Brooke, but instead of devouring it, like they expected, she dipped her spoon into the white mass, drew it out slowly, and licked the contents off, staring at Stephen all the while with a strange look on her face.

_What is going on?_

Jeremy looked just as confused.   _'Don't ask me! I have no clue.'_

"So," Brooke's voice directed Stephen's attention back to her. "do you want a ride?"

It wasn't really worth noticing that her voice became huskier with each word, but Stephen noticed anyway.  And really didn't like it. And it didn’t help that she was pulling lightly on the collar of her already-low-cut shirt.

"Uh..." _Crap, what is this?_

“Do you wanna ride?” Brooke repeated, standing and coming closer. Stephen found themselves rising out of their seat in opposition. “My mom is picking Chloe and me up, so you wanna come with us?”

“I-uh..” Stephen backed away, but Brooke came closer anyway. “I need to go.”

“Do you have a ride home?”

Stephen involuntarily shook their head.  Brooke was so close to them that they could almost see down her shirt if they looked down. But they didn’t, even with Jeremy breathing down their neck to just _take the goddamned advantage of the situation._

_Fuck off._

“Brooke, please..” Even Stephen had to admit, that sounded really wrong, but Brooke only seemed to take it in stride.

“Please what?” she whispered, her breath cool against Stephen’s cheek.

“Please stop.” Stephen pulled away, breathing hard.  “First of all, we’re in public. Second of all--”

Brooke interrupted him, pulling her shirt back to its normal position. “Oh, you’re _too cute._ ”

“Uh, okay.” Stephen turned to leave, fully intending on getting out of there as fast as possible. “Maybe some other time.”

Brooke just waved, smirking, even as she downed the rest of Stephen’s frozen yogurt.

 _‘What was that about?’_ Jeremy demanded when Stephen finally left the mall.

_No way am I taking that!_

Jeremy groaned. _‘She only does that because of Chloe’s influence! She’s a nice person; she’s probably able to balance out your life!’_

_Yeah, but it didn’t seem like that._

_‘Whatever happened to Popular Kid? The one who was cool in all situations?’_

_I’m not that kid, okay?_ Stephen turned the corner, nearly walking into some people in his distraction of talking to Jeremy. _I literally am popular because I’m friends with Rich!  It’s all about connections, and I can barely keep up with their mannerisms, so don’t give me shit!_

 _‘No, I can see that,’_ Jeremy replied patiently, _‘I was just wondering if you are ever going to listen to me.’_

 _You’re defective,_ Stephen replied, _Why should I listen to you?_

_‘Because no matter if I’m defective, my only purpose is to help you! So let me help you!’_

Stephen stopped at the end of their street, glaring at the projection in front of him. “Whatever,” they said aloud, and a sudden slamming of a door alerted them to the real world.

“Stephen Priege!” Their dad bellowed down the street, echoing off of the surrounding house, “Get your ass in here!”

_Shit._

_‘Is this your dad?’_ Jeremy asked, a concerned look briefly flashing across his face.

 _Yeah._ Stephen broke into a run. _I just hope nothing bad has happened._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh...


	4. family troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy actually helps Stephen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for abuse and hallucinations and drinking.

When Stephen entered the house, they were greeted by a swift slap.  They reeled back, trying to blink away the black spots. Their dad loomed above them, holding an empty beer bottle in one hand and a computer in the other.

"About time you showed up!" he snarled.  "What, did you forget to come home?  Where's my money?"

Stephen back against the door, hand fumbling in their pockets for the spare dollars from the SQUIP. "Dad, I can explain I-I--"

"I don't wanna hear it, you little shit!" Stephen's dad growled.  "Give. Me. The. Money."

Stephen managed to fish out the two hundred dollar bills and shoved it into their dad's hands.  The dad stared at it, eyes wide and bloodshot.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he yelled.  "Where the hell is the rest of it? You selfish kid!" He lashed out with his right foot; Jeremy shouted a warning, but Stephen moved too slow.  The kick caught them in the side and they went down.

"Your mother will hear about this!" Mr. Priege continued ranting, turning away, clutching the money and dropping his bottle onto the floor with a crash.  "It's her turn to look after you next week.  Make sure all your stuff is packed.  I don't want any of your shit lying around tonight.  Got it?" 

Stephen was too busy trying to catch their breath to reply.  Their dad turned around.  "I said, got it?"

Stephen nodded, still gasping for air.  Jeremy crouched next to him.  _'Your dad is, excuse my language, an ass.'_

_You got that right._

_'Need revenge?'_

Stephen sat up, staring in horror at the projection of the teen next to them.  _You kidding? He's just gonna pull out the belt on me!_

_'He spanks you?'_

_No._ Stephen stood, wobbling slightly. Jeremy's hands twitched, as if he wanted to steady them.  _He swings the whole damn thing at me.  He doesn't usually miss._

_'I can take over your body for a brief amount of time to get revenge on him.'_

_That would be great, but I don't want him to come after me later._

_'Good point.'_

Stephen braced themselves against the wall and staggered towards the stairs.  _Is there some kind of programming that can remove pain?_

_'Mental or physical?'_

_Both would be nice, but physical right now._

_'I don't recommend it.'_ Jeremy flickered slightly as he explained.  _'Despite me redirecting your neural processors, you will still have the injury and if you exercise it, it will take a toll on your body that even I will not be able to fix.'_

 _Good to know._ Stephen dragged themselves up the next step, painfully repeating the process twenty times more and dragging themselves to their room. Or what was supposed to be their room.

Mr. Priege had purposefully removed all of the furniture in the room, leaving Stephen to buy their own mat, which served as a bed, and other things they needed.  Thankfully, most of the stuff was over at their mother's house, so they didn't need to bring much over. They started by rolling the mat into large plastic bag and stuffing it into the corner, intending on gathering their stuff there later.

 _'Your dad is pretty harsh,'_ Jeremy commented, watching his host scramble around the room for their few belongings.

 _He's fine when he isn't drunk._ As if to prove Stephen's point, there was a loud crash from downstairs and Mr. Priege swore loudly.   _Which pretty much never happens._

 _'You could emancipate yourself,'_ Jeremy suggested, his expression one of pity and concern.  Stephen looked away.

"I don't need you to pity me," they said aloud. Mr. Priege stopped making noise from downstairs and minutes later, burst into the room, startling Stephen so badly that the teen would've fallen over, if not for Jeremy giving him a light shock to stay upright. "The fuck--?"

"You have someone in here?" Mr. Priege's eyes were narrowed, searching the area for a sign of another person. "Or are you so messed up that you talk to yourself?"

 _'Play the hallucination card,'_ Jeremy suggested.

Stephen internally rolled their eyes but followed the orders, unwilling for another shock. They stared up at their dad, a blank look in their eyes.  "Oh, I'm sorry," they said, making sure that their voice was a bit too far away. "Have you met Jeremy?"

_'Nice.'_

Mr. Priege took a step back, confused and a bit nervous.  "There's, uh, no one there, Stephen."

Stephen shook their head, rising from where they'd been crouching near the large plastic bag. "He talks to me sometimes.  Tells me things.  You can't see him?"

_Can you physically move things?_

_'No, but I can make you move things.'_

_Perfect._

Mr. Priege was shaking his head, looking horrified now.  "No.  No, no, no, what have you been doing these days to make you this fucked up?"

Stephen ignored their father, continuing with the creepy kid act.  "They can possess me too. Make me do stuff. Sometimes it's unwanted, but it never turns out to be bad."

_Can you make me do things I won't physically be able to do?_

Jeremy looked amused.   _'Yeah, of course.  You're a pretty good actor though. I'll give you that.'_

Stephen found their body moving without any commands once more. Mr. Priege's eyes widened as they picked up the bag besides them and threw it at the window, cracking it and then falling to the floor with a thump.  Stephen was careful to leave the airy look in their eyes as they turned back to stare at their dad, who looked like he was going to faint. "See?  He makes me do stuff."

Mr. Priege backed out of the room faster than Stephen had ever seen him and disappeared downstairs.

_'That was pretty funny.'_

_He's probably gone to get a book or something to smack the hell out of me,_ Stephen replied, the weight of their actions suddenly smashing over them, waking them up to reality.  _Shit, he's gonna kill me._

 _'Calm down,'_ Jeremy started, but Stephen was beyond listening. 

 _I'm going to my mom's early,_ they said simply, just as Mr. Priege crashed into the room, holding something long and thick. 

"Stephen Quinn Uler-Ip Priege!  What the fuck was that creepy stuff?"

Stephen grabbed the bag in one hand and braced their other hand on the window.  _If you're gonna help me at all, now would be a good time!_

Jeremy flickered, and a shock ran through Stephen's body as the SQUIP took control and Stephen took a running start and broke through the window.  Jeremy made their body drop into a roll when they hit the ground, and Stephen took off running, feeling Jeremy's hold slowly slip off their control.

 _Thanks,_ Stephen said grudgingly.

Jeremy shot them a grin.  ' _Hey, you're learning manners!  What an accomplishment!'_

_Shut up._

_'Aaaaand, we're back to the normal closed-off self.'_

That earned a glare from the teen as they turned the corner.  _'If I had to be honest,'_ Jeremy continued as they ran,  _'you are actually pretty nice to everyone when it comes to one-on-one stuff, and you act awkward with other people, but with me, you're rude, abrasive, and full of interesting ideas.  Is that your true nature, or...?'_

 _Or what?_ Stephen asked irritably.  Their arm was starting to throb from where Jeremy forced it out the window.  And their legs too.  But they didn't dare to stop running, as they were less than enthusiastic to have their dad come after them.

Jeremy shrugged, floating along in front of Stephen, arms crossed.   _'You just have a lot of different personalities, is all.  Depending on who you're talking to, at least, but I'll say the way you're talking to me now is your true voice.'_

 _You don't know jackshit about me,_ Stephen grumbled, skidding to a halt in front of a large house with painted blue doors and windows.  

Jeremy stopped as well, gazing up at the house.  _'I saw this place from your brain, but it looks even better in real life.'_

 _You're so sappy._ Stephen marched past their SQUIP and up to the door.  They went to ring the doorbell but hesitated.

 _'Something wrong?'_ The look on Jeremy's face was one of concern.  Were SQUIPs even supposed to show emotion?

 _I-I just,_ Stephen turned away.   _I don't know, I guess I'm just being stupid._  Their hand pushed the doorbell without a second thought. 

Their mom opened it, an expression of surprise across her face.  "Stephen!  I, uh, didn't know you were coming so early!"

"Dad kicked me out," Stephen lied, half-expecting the SQUIP to shock him, but nothing happened.

"Well, come in." Stephen's mom stepped back, looking nervous for some reason.  "I don't suppose you've heard the news?"

"What news?"

Ms. Priege looked sympathetic.  "You know those computer-pill thingies you kids have?"

_'Oh my God.'_

_Shut up!  Please._

"Yeah?" Stephen felt their heart sinking.  "What about them?"

"Well, there's this thing going out there -- I'm not saying it's true, so don't be scared -- that a seller of those, what, SQUIPs? Yeah, SQUIPs. Anyway, someone sold a defective SQUIP, and they're sending out some organization to track down that unlucky kid and flush it out of them."

_Fuck.  Jesus, you didn't think to tell me?_

_'I'm sorry, I didn't know either!'_ Jeremy looked frantic.

"So," Ms. Priege continued, unaware of the mental battle going on between her child and their SQUIP, "I know you bought a SQUIP recently.  Is it the defective one?"

Stephen forced themselves to remain calm.  "No, mom, it's fine.  Just a normal SQUIP," they lied.

Ms. Priege immediately relaxed. "Oh, good.  Because I secretly work for that organization, honey, so it's a good thing I didn't have to bring you in."

"Yeah. Good thing."

Ms. Priege didn't seem to notice Stephen's horror, as she continued, turning away. "How about you unpack in your room, sweetie.  You've got school tomorrow!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What.


	5. set ups and dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy forces Stephen to get some feelings under control. Fake feelings anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did I do. My hand slipped.

School was shit; Stephen was aware of that.  But apparently, their SQUIP didn't know the horrors that went on inside those walls.

_'You're changing your posture,'_ Jeremy noticed.   _'Is there a specific reason for that?'_

_You need to act and look a certain way to survive,_  Stephen replied.   _Acting like an asshole to other people here gets me far._

_'But you don't need to act that way to be cool.'_

Stephen ignored their SQUIP and shoved the double doors open with their shoulder.  _I do._

The first person they ran into was Jenna Rolan, who, as usual, was on her phone. "Oh, hey Stephen!" she greeted. Stephen allowed her a curt nod before brushing past her.

_'You aren't going to talk to her?'_

_I tried, once.  She never stops talking.  Ever._

_'Still pretty rude to brush her off.'_  

Stephen just shrugged and made their way further into the hallways of Middle Borough. As it was only the first week of school, all of the kids were chaotic; everyone was still getting used to being back from summer vacation.  And the freshmen there apparently hadn't heard of the social classes.

A kid stumbled into Stephen, the later recognizing her as a freshman they had to show around last week as orientation.

"Oh, hey Stephen!" she greeted, swinging her arms back and forth across her body.  She seemed to notice that the junior that showed her around a week ago had a social reputation to keep up by the look they were giving her and backed away slightly.  "How's it going?"

"Good." Stephen's voice was strained, hoping that no one saw them talking to a freshman.  Thankfully, the bell rang and the girl was pushed away on the current of people hurrying to their class.

"Nice talking to you!" she cried over the chatter.

Stephen stiffened as a hand suddenly clamped onto their shoulder.  "You know that kid?"

Rich's voice sounded a bit faint, or maybe it was because of all of noise around the two. "Didn't know you talked to freshmen chicks."

"She was my partner for orientation," Stephen replied, slowly recovering from the shock. 

Rich looked unconvinced but shrugged.  "Anyways, how's your SQUIP? Does it work?"

_Does he know about you?_

_'I would say no, but just in case his SQUIP informed him already...'_

"Yeah," Stephen managed to pull off a casual tone. "It's fine."

"Cool!" Rich visibly relaxed, and Stephen was reminded of their mother, who, for some reason, blatantly stated she was supposed to help find the rogue SQUIP.  "So, you wanna sync SQUIPs?"

_'If I sync with his SQUIP, he has a larger possibility of finding out my defectiveness.  And that could sever your friendship, as you already lied to him.  And as his SQUIP may be connected to that organization in some way, you would lead them right to you.'_

_So that's a no._

"I, uh--" Stephen was thankfully cut off by the second bell ringing and they dashed away, leaving a confused Rich behind.  "Gotta go to class!"

_He'll know something's wrong._ Stephen mused as he walked out of the classroom after third period.   _I usually skip first period and seventh period.  And I usually don't get to class on time anyway._

_'It got you of of explaining,'_ Jeremy said reassuringly.   _'You may have time to come up with an excuse.'_

_That really doesn't help._

By the time lunch rolled around, Stephen was ready just to give up.  _This is stupid._

Jeremy just shook his head at them.

"Hey! Stephen!" Rich came over holding two lunch trays and shoved one into Stephen's arms.  "Why'd you walk out on me?"

"I'm, uh, not really comfortable with syncing right now," Stephen said quickly, shoving their hands in their jacket pockets.  They had managed to convince Jeremy to not wear that polo shirt today, and they definitely weren't regretting it. "I'm, you know, getting used to the SQUIP and all."

Rich blinked, and after a tense pause, grinned.  "Of course, man!  No problem!"

He leaned in, like he was going to spill a huge secret.  "To be honest, my SQUIP's the one who told me to ask.  I don't really care, man."

Stephen nodded.  It suddenly was really hot in here.  "Alright."

_‘See?  If you're polite, people listen to you!'_

_But I don't remember the last time I was polite.  If I keep this up, Rich'll grow suspicious._

_’Well, let's not focus on that for now.'_

_Sure, whatever._

”So," Rich started, leading Stephen to the 'popular kid' table.  "Jake's got this essay due in a few weeks, and I can't look at it, so maybe you could?  After school on Friday?"

Stephen gave him a curious look.  "Why are you always with him?"

"Why?" Rich raised his eyebrows suggestively. "You jealous?"

"I didn't think you guys were actually together," Stephen countered, deflecting the barb.  

To their surprise, Rich seemed to shrink slightly.  "I wish," he said, lowering his voice as they neared the table.

"Hey Richie, Stephen!" Jake rose from his seat (and conversation with an offended Chloe) to greet the two.  "How's it going?"

"Shit ton of work for the first week," Rich complained, sitting down, Stephen awkwardly maneuvering around him to get a seat. "Otherwise I'm good. You?"

Jake laughed, the sound loud and boisterous. "Didn't think you'd actually reply to that, seeing we just saw each other yesterday!"

Brooke piped up, eyes on Stephen while the latter squirmed under her gaze, though her words were directed to everyone at the table. "You guys signing up for the play this year?"

"Uh, yeah!" Jake grinned.  "I totally forgot.  Thanks, Brooke!" He untangled himself from the bench he was sitting on and walked over to the large bulletin hanging on the wall.  He signed his name with a flourish.

"Yeah, I forgot too." Rich turned to follow Jake and glanced at Stephen.  "You joining this year?"

"Uh."

_'You should sign up,_ ' Jeremy encouraged.   _'It's a good opportunity.  Plus, you're really good at acting already.'_

_I'm not really okay with acting..._

_'Just do it!  I predict a possible future with you in the play.  So, you might as well do it.'_

"Yeah." Stephen reluctantly stood as well and signed their name after Rich's.

Jake clapped them on the shoulder.  "Didn't actually think you were going to, dude!  That's awesome!"

Stephen offered a blank smile, which Jake wholeheartedly returned.

So that was how they ended up sitting next to this person who seemed overly enthusiastic about play rehearsal.

_'She's pretty cute.'_

_Really? That's the only thing you have to say?_

"My name's Christine.  Christine Canigula.  She/her. I have seen you around and stuff, but I've never gotten to talk to you!  What's your name?"

Stephen had a distinct feeling like she was talking to him like how she would to a child.  Or maybe that was always how she talked.  Wild about everything and dorky, but in a sweet way.

_'Told you.'_

"Stephen Priege," Stephen introduced themselves.  "They/Them, but I don't really care if you address me as he/him pronoun-wise."

"Nice!" Christine flashed him a bright smile.  "So, is this your first play practice?"

"Yeah." Stephen didn't offer anything after that, but Christine seemed unphased.

"Nice!  You know, I'm almost jealous.  It's not everyday where you experience your first play practice! You're practically a virgin!"

_Does she know what that means?_

_'Who cares?'_ Jeremy was staring at Christine with a look that Stephen was pretty sure a SQUIP wasn't supposed to have.

_Oh my fucking god.  You seriously have a crush on her?  Shame you're a defective SQUIP being searched by the government and not human._

That got Jeremy's attention.

"Uh, cool," Stephen replied, because Christine was staring at them, waiting for a response.

"Awesome!" Christine laughed, and she opened her mouth to say more, but the theater door swung open with a bang and Rich, Jake, Chloe, Jenna, and Brooke marched in, followed by Mr. Reyes, the drama teacher.

"Excellent!" Mr. Reyes cried, his voice always seeming extremely loud.  "Now that everyone's here, I need to make an announcement: we are supposed to perform A Midsummer's Night Dream but due to budgeting, we have to remake it completely.  Think of it as a Midsummer's Nightmare, with zombies!"

Stephen heard Christine raise her hand before they turned to look at her. "Mr. Reyes!" she protested.  "That's an insult to Shakespeare!"

"I'm sorry, Miss. Canigula," Mr. Reyes said, not really sounding sorry. "but it is due to the school cutting funds for the Frisbee Golf Team, right Mr. Dillinger?"

Jake looked slightly guilty. "Uh, yeah."

Christine spared a quick glance to Jake and looked at Stephen, who was a bit regretful to be sitting next to someone who could go from extremely happy to upset.

"I can't believe this," she hissed, her eyes somehow burning and sparkling at the same time.  "We use Shakespearean apocalypse themes?  What's that supposed to do to the plot?"

_'Humor her.'_

"Apparently," Stephen whispered back, "Puck is going to turn us all into zombies."

Christine giggled softly, and Stephen saw Jeremy practically on top of her.   _Dude, get off of her!  She can't see you!  You're creeping me out!_

Jeremy stuck his tongue out at them and dissolved into pixels. Stephen rolled their eyes and focused on Mr. Reyes, who was now handing out scripts.

"We'll start off by reading the script with assigned parts. I'll assign you all a real role later on, once we get auditions going," Mr. Reyes explained, "and now a quick break so I can eat a Hot Pocket."

He left the theater faster than one could say  _Shakespeare_ , leaving the kids to go over the script themselves. By the time they all finished, Mr. Reyes still hadn't returned and it was six o'clock.  Jake stood, stretching as his bones cracked, followed by Rich, and then the rest of the to-be-cast.

"You think Mr. Reyes just left?" Christine asked to no one in particular.  No one bothered to answer.

"I'm leaving," Chloe yawned.  "That was just a waste of time."

One by one, everyone left the building until only Stephen and Christine were left.  Jeremy reappeared to hover behind Christine, his crush painfully obvious.  Stephen tried to take a step forward so they could leave, but a shock forced them to freeze in place.

Christine gave them a curious look.  "Are you going to leave?"

_Let me go!_

Jeremy didn't answer.

_Goddamnit, stop embarrassing me!  Let me leave!_

Jeremy looked over at Stephen.   _'Admit your crush on her.'_

_But I don't have a crush on her!_

_'She has one on you!  I want to help you, Stephen, and in order to do that, you need to date Christine!'_

_How does dating someone help me?_

_'It gets you more open about your feelings!  And who knows, maybe you'll actually end up liking her romantically!'_

_This isn't about romance, Jeremy!_

_'I know, but you just need to trust me.'_

_Oh yeah, trust the defective computer,_ Stephen replied sarcastically, but already knew they were going to listen to Jeremy anyway.  It was a matter of instinctive trust.  Or maybe because their life was so broken anyway it didn't matter.

Christine was still looking at them expectantly for them to say something so Stephen awkwardly cleared their throat.  "Uh, I don't really know how to say this..."

"It's fine!" Christine now looked slightly concerned.  "Go ahead and say it!  I won't judge!" She gave them a supportive smile and Stephen realized exactly why Jeremy was attracted to her, despite their obvious differences.

"I, uh," Despite their popular status, Stephen never actually learned how to talk to people, much less confess a 'crush'. "IkindalikeyouandIcan'ttalktopeoplewannagooutwithme?"

Jeremy snorted.   _'Real smooth.'_

_Shut up._

Christine blinked slowly. "Oh.  Wow.  Um, I'm still figuring myself out right now, but uh,"

_Her face is red.  She's blushing?_

_'She likes you.  One of those long distance crushes, you know?'_

_I do know, but she's going to be heavily disappointed if she says yes._

"Yes," Christine said, her face so red, Stephen didn't know if she was blushing or just really really hot.  "I'll go out with you.  I mean, I've had a crush on you forever, but obviously, you're too cool and stuff. Sorry," she added, smiling. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"No, no, you're good," Stephen said quickly, managing to smile back, though he was cringing inwardly.

_I feel like I'm using her._

Jeremy just smirked at him.   _'You're on your own with the date, by the way.'_

_Wait, what date?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is very unlike BMC. What do I do about it? I just go along for the ride lmao.


	6. date issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen meets Michael. And someone else they’d rather live without.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is crammed full of plot points so watch your step.

"I can't believe you got a date with Christine," Chloe groaned while placing her slushie straw between her teeth.  "It's not like she's  _that_  cute!"

_What do I tell her?_

_'Do one of your jabs.  It always works on her.  Actually, no, it works 82% of the time.'_

"Why?" Stephen asked, eyebrows raised.  "You jealous?"

Chloe managed to look offended and flattered at the same time.  "Uh, no!   _Duh_.  Why would I be jealous of  _her_ , no offense."

Stephen shrugged.  “It just seems like you're making a big deal out of it.  Which you usually don't..."

_'You're lying.'_

_Well, she does make a big deal out of everything._

_'Can't argue with that, but try not to lie so much.'_

Chloe just slurped her drink obnoxiously.  "You deserve better, you know.  You need someone with the same lack of emotional capacity as you."

It took all of Stephen's self-restraint to stay in their seat.  "Your point?"

Chloe shrugged lightly. "I'll give the relationship a week at most to survive before you break up.  She dumps you, you dump her, it doesn't matter."

"What's in it for me?"

_'You aren't seriously considering this, are you?'_

_She doesn't know that, though._

Chloe leaned across the table, setting down her drink.  She was so close that Stephen could see a faint smudge of mascara on her cheek.  "You make it last for more then a week, then I'll reconsider your status and reputation.  Right now, you're slipping."

"Who are you to determine that?" Stephen pushed their chair back to get away from Chloe.  "I can keep that relationship, no problem."

Chloe snorted.  "So confident; you really overestimate both of your emotional capacities then."

"Hey, what's going on?" Rich intervened, and Chloe filled him in.  He glanced at Stephen, who was halfway sitting and standing at the same time.  "You will probably last longer than a week," he said, but he sounded doubtful.  "but it'll take a lot."

"I didn't say it wouldn't," Stephen replied, standing up and leaving the room, Jeremy floating behind him.

_'That made no sense at all.'_

_I don't care._

_'You really think you'll be able to last?'_

_Why are you asking me?  You're the one who said I had to do this!_

_'Fine,'_ Jeremy hovered in front of Stephen, making them stop.   _'I do think you can stay together for more than a week.  Or if you explain to her what's going on--'_

_She'll hate me for that._

_'...True.'_

_Okay,_ Stephen took a sharp left into the bathroom and locked themselves in a stall so they could glare openly at Jeremy.   _How the hell am I supposed to do this?  You make me get a date with a girl when I have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever, and tell me again how this is supposed to improve my life?_

_'It will,'_ Jeremy said calmly.  _'You just need to be patient.'_

_I can't!_ Stephen started pacing, circling around Jeremy because they didn't want to go through their SQUIP.  _I can't be patient!  I have never been on a date in my entire life--_

_'What about in third grade?'_ Jeremy interjected and Stephen stopped pacing circles to sigh.

_Third grade doesn't count!  How the fuck am I supposed to do this?_ Stephen sat on the toilet lid, head in their hands. If they were concentrating hard enough, they would've noticed that it was getting harder and harder to breathe.  _Jesus, this is insane! If she finds out--_

Jeremy interrupted once more, looking a bit concerned.   _'Deep breaths, Stephen.  Deep breaths.'_

Stephen stopped ranting and took in a shuddering breath, realizing how close they'd been to a panic attack.   _I-I just can't._

_'Deep breaths,'_ Jeremy intoned, placing a hand on Stephen's shoulder but not quite touching them.  _'You'll be fine, Stephen, you have me.'_

_That doesn't make me feel any better._ Stephen stood, making Jeremy move backwards quickly in order not to glitch out.   _'You are the one who likes her, not me!'_

Jeremy grinned.   _'I like her, yes, but that isn't the reason why I need you to date her.  Unless you wanted to date Brooke or Chloe?'_

Stephen shuddered.   _No thanks._

_'Thought not.'_   If it was possible, Stephen would say that Jeremy sounded smug.   _'So you have a date.  Do you know when and where?'_

_We're going to see a modern production of "Romeo and Juliet" this weekend, but shouldn't you know that?_

_'I'm defective, remember?'_ Jeremy tapped his head with a grin.   _'I only can see some things in your brain that goes on.'_

_Is that something to be proud of?_

_'Well, at least I have emotions,'_

_Ouch, I'm so offended,_ Stephen replied sarcastically as they moved to unlock the door.  

They were met face to face by Michael Mell.

"Shit." Stephen stumbled back in surprise.  Michael seemed pretty shocked to see him as well.

"Uh, you're Stephen Priege right?"

Stephen recovered enough to give a curt nod.

_'Be more polite!'_ Jeremy scolded.

_Fuck off._

"Michael Mell," Stephen observed.

Michael looked a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation.  "Okay, uh, hi.  Nice meeting you, you know, in person for once."  He paused before looking at the stall Stephen had just exited.  "Did you just come out of a stall?"

Stephen shrugged.  "What's wrong with that?"

Michael grinned suddenly, revealing his braces.  "No reason.  Just wondering, because, you know, Rich is totally against stalls and you are friends with him..."

Stephen was taken off guard by the smile  --   _'Your heart rate is rising,'_ Jeremy noted  --  but returned it, albeit showing a bit less teeth than Michael.  "No, I just was in there, thinking on whether I wanted to drown myself in toilet water or not."

When Michael blinked in surprise, they added, "I'm kidding."

"Oh, yeah, of course!" The smile reappeared.  "Well, I actually didn't think you had a sense of humor? Don't hit me," he added quickly.

"Why the fuck would I hit you?"

"Because you're a popular kid," Michael explained.  "Rich usually does.  Except I think he's more physical?  I have no idea, I'm rambling, sorry."

Stephen only shrugged, looking to Jeremy to help him out of the situations.  Their SQUIP just gave them an unhelpful thumbs up.

_What do I say?_

_'You're doing fine!'_

Michael seemed a bit concerned that Stephen didn't answer right away and asked, "Hey, you good?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Stephen said quickly.

"Got a SQUIP?" Michael asked, grinning slightly.  "I did some research and apparently, the symptoms are staring at a specific point a lot."

"It's that obvious?" Stephen pretended to act surprised.  "Well, I guess I have to hide it a bit more."

"But why do you need it?" Michael asked.  "I mean, you're part of the popular group!  You're already part of that whole clique thing, so why do you need a SQUIP? Or did you just get one?"

_How the hell did he suddenly get so personal?_

Jeremy shrugged.

_Not helping.  Not helping at all._

"Just got one," Stephen replied simply, and turned to leave, but Michael threw his arm in front of them, stopping them from leaving.

"Those're dangerous," Michael warned. "My cousin went crazy trying to get it out of their head.  It worsens your life."

"I don't need your concern." Stephen pushed Michael's arm away and left the bathroom.

_'You handled that well, but I think you acquired some kind of crush?'_

_Shut up._

"Hey Steph!" Rich came over, looking a bit apologetic.  'You okay man? You were in there forever.  SQUIP giving you trouble?"

Stephen glanced at Jeremy, who smirked. "Something like that, sure."

Rich winced in sympathy.  "That blows.  Hey, Jake's parents aren't going to be home Halloween weekend.  Jake told me to tell you that you're invited to his Halloween party.  How does that sound?"

Stephen hesitated.  They always tried to avoid parties because drunk teenagers really didn't make the best choices, but seeing Jeremy's meaningful look, nodded.  "I guess?"

"Cool!" Rich finger-gunned Stephen and turned to leave.  "See you then!"

_'You like him too.'_

_I like everyone._

_'Not Christine, apparently.'_

_Selective breeding._

Jeremy snorted.  _'Did you really just say that?  Who are you?'_

Stephen cracked a smile, feeling genuinely uplifted for the first time in a while.   _The same person you have as a host.  What, didn't you think I could say that?_

Jeremy just shook his head, exasperated.  _'Never mind.  But seriously, you have a thing for Rich, and for Michael.  What, you have something for Jake too?_ _'_

_Nah, just those two._ Stephen paused.  _For now anyway._

_'Damn.'_

_Okay, shut up for once, okay?  I know you're defective so your commands don't really work, but I need your sass to slow down._

_'Not that you're sassy enough anyway.'_ Jeremy retorted, but closed his mouth anyway.

_So we have two issues now: the government organization and the date with Christine._

_'Nah,'_ Jeremy followed Stephen as the latter followed Rich outside, but turned left to go back to their mother's house.  _'That date is nothing.  It's the government you have to worry about.'_

_They'll come after us._

_'I know.'_ Jeremy sounded indifferent for once, and it scared Stephen a little.   _'And what's with your mom suddenly saying that?'_

Stephen shrugged, turning the corner so that their mother's house was visible.   _Maybe she was joking._

_'I don't think she was.'_

When Stephen opened the door, they found their mom sitting in the living room, talking to a man they'd never seen before, dressed in a white suit and sunglasses.  Jeremy, however, did.

_'Shit, Stephen, you need to leave.  Now.  Quietly.'_

Stephen, used to not questioning Jeremy's advice, quickly moved backwards, placing their hand on the doorknob, but in that exact moment, their mom looked up and spotted him.

"Oh, hey Stephen!  This is Frederick.  Frederick, this is my child, the one I told you who recently got a SQUIP."

_Fuck, what do I do?_

Jeremy sounded helpless.   _'I don't know.  Just-just listen to them and follow their orders until I figure this out, okay?'_ He fizzled out, and Stephen was left to stare at the strange man, who extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you Stephen," he said, politely, but Stephen could see the cold glare behind the sunglasses.  They took his hand and shook it, purposely making it limp.  Frederick extracted his hand rather quickly.

"I'll have to go over some questions with you," Frederick said, glancing at Mrs. Priege for a moment before looking back at Stephen.  "I need to take you to our facility for the interview though."

"You can go," Mrs. Priege interjected, and as if that suddenly flipped a switch, Stephen found themselves in a black car with tinted windows, heading to who knows where.  No one spoke as Frederick drove them to the secret government facility (the name was dumb, and Stephen couldn't care less).

Stephen didn't know what to do.  If they had to be honest, they were quite terrified.   _Jeremy?_

For once, the voice in their head was quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops.


	7. shock boxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen is at the facility. It doesn’t go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for panic attack and torture by shocking

The facility was large, white, sterile, and imposing.  Stephen felt dirty just walking through the hallways, all the while careful to keep behind Frederick.  All of their pleas to Jeremy have been lost in the time it took for them to reach this godforsaken place, and Stephen just felt like giving up.

Frederick led them to a bare room, with nothing but two chairs and a desk between them.  There was also a cot in the back, which alerted Stephen to the fact that they might stay there longer than intended.

Frederick took a seat behind the desk, motioning Stephen to sit across from him. "So, Stephen, this place is specifically designed to cut off most of the transmitting waves for your SQUIP so they won't interfere with your actions."

Seeing the horrified look on Stephen's face, he added, "Don't worry, they are still in your brain.  They just can't physically talk to you, is all."

Stephen managed to close off their expression, but said nothing.

"Now," Frederick sifted through a stack of papers that definitely hadn't been there before.  "We'll start with the obvious, and then move deeper.  Please answer all questions honestly and to the best of your ability.  Since we've got the formalities out of the way, let's start with, is your SQUIP defective?"

_Deep breaths, Stephen, you can do this._ "No."

Frederick's eyes narrowed. "We don't want to force you to do anything, so I'll ask you again: Is your SQUIP defective?"

_Deep breaths. Breathe._ "No," Stephen repeated.  They could feel their chest contracting in fear, yet they kept their face neutral.  Two years of asshole popularity had done wonders to their attitude.

Frederick sighed and placed the papers aside.  "Fine.  Next question: Has your SQUIP in any way claimed a name or gender or showed any emotion?"

A train of images ran through Stephen's head.  Jeremy displayed every single one of the things Frederick listed but Stephen wasn't willing to say anything that easily.  "No."

"Does your SQUIP help you?"

That, they could honestly answer.  Because, despite the troubles that Jeremy had given them, he still actually helped Stephen quite a bit in only a day and a half.  "Yes."

Frederick studied the teenager in front of him for a long moment before moving on.  "Do any of your friends have a SQUIP?  Name them."

Stephen shook their head.  They didn't want to drag Rich into this.

"Name them," Frederick repeated.

Stephen remained silent.

"If you are not going to comply, we may have to force the answer out of you.  And it won't be pretty.  So answer. The. Question."

Jeremy hadn't helped them enough, apparently, to be able to give in under threats.  Stephen refused to speak, wondering if it was the right choice to make, their heart pounding painfully against their ribcage.

Frederick leaned back in his seat and pulled a microphone out of his suit lapel.  "Dan, better come in here."

The door slid open and another man came in, also in a white suit.  Stephen instinctively sat up straighter, but 'Dan' violently pulled back their chair and wrenched their hands back.  Stephen felt something cold and thin close around their neck.

"It will sense whether you're lying or not," Frederick explained, taking a sheaf of paper from the pile and setting on the table in front of him.  "So don't lie.  We'll start over: Is your SQUIP defective?"

Stephen didn't reply, and received a large jolt of electricity that left them doubled over in their seat, gasping for air.

"Is you SQUIP defective?" Frederick's tone didn't change at all, and instead waited patiently.

"No," Stephen managed to choke out, and another blast of electricity nearly made them fall out of their seat.  A flash of white covered their vision, and the collar around their neck jerked back slightly, to remind them that they needed to stay seated.  When their vision cleared enough, they managed to crawl back onto the chair.

Frederick now looked slightly uncomfortable.  "Dan, lessen the shock power a bit.  We don't want to kill them."

Dan reached for a black box and turned the knob down, and Stephen could actually breathe again.

"If you keep lying, it eventually  _will_  kill you, so please try to cooperate." Frederick shook his head slightly and continued, thankfully with the next question. "Has your SQUIP in any way claimed a name or gender or showed any emotion?"

Stephen realized the sick nature of this procedure.  Every time the device emitted a shock, they knew they were lying.  So for all the yes or no questions, it was painfully obvious the true answer.

They stayed silent.  And received another shock that knocked all the air out of them.

After what seemed like fifty hours like this, Frederick and Dan finally left Stephen alone in the room, the latter still shaking from the jolts of electricity. And now they knew what that cot was for.  It seemed like they were going to miss their date with Christine.  Almost as if on cue, their phone buzzed with a text from Christine.

**Christine:** [You still up for the date?  Heard Chloe was saying some rude stuff about you, so I get it if you don't want to. <3]

It took them a bit to come up with a reply for this; their brain didn't seem to be working that quickly.

**Stephen:**   [Yeah, I'm still up for it.  Don't worry about me!]

Their hands were shaking by the time they pressed send and they leaned back against the wall, raking a hand through their hair.  It had just sunk in that they were going to be stuck in this sterile  _lab_  for a long time and maybe those Frederick and Dan people were just leaving to find worse ways to torture them.

_Fuck._  They had no idea at how much time had passed.  For all they knew, it was already the next day. It felt like forever since they left their mom's home.

Their throat constricted.  They knew they should calm down and think things through, but the gravity of the situation was threatening to overload their senses.  Stephen gripped the edge of the cot to feel some sort of stability, but they were slipping. They couldn't remember the last time they had a full-blown panic attack.  Freshman year maybe?  And then Rich had accidentally brought them out of it by flying past them on a skateboard counting to ten as loudly as he could before crashing headlong into a wall, followed by cheers.  Stephen had taken the rhythm of the initial counting and continued it until they calmed down.  But with no one else in the room, they were on their own.

Or so they thought.

_'Stephen?'_ The voice made Stephen freeze in place, shaking.  They couldn't breathe, but a spark of hope ignited in their chest despite the overwhelming anxiety.

_Jeremy?_

Jeremy flickered into existence in front of his host, though he remained there rather faintly, he was there nothingless.   _'Oh my God, what happened to you?'_

_What does it look like?_

Jeremy looked a bit taken aback and flickered again, his image nearly disappearing.   _'They tortured you, oh God.'_ He solidified for a few seconds before becoming transparent.  _'Hold on.  Take deep breaths. I'm here.'_

Stephen managed to draw in a shaky breath and exhale; Jeremy started tapping the cot to sound off a counting rhythm.  _'One. Two. Three. Four. In. One. Two. Three. Four. Out.'_

After what seemed like forever, Stephen could finally breathe again and sat up straighter.  _Where were you?  I thought the facility blocked you._

Jeremy looked smug.   _'I'm defective.  Which means I have some code even they can't account for. So I'm able to slip through their defenses and here I am.'_

_You fucking scared me._

_'I'm sorry, Stephen,"_ Jeremy actually looked apologetic.   _'I couldn't find another way in that took less time.  I would be here faster if I could--Are you crying?'  
_

_Fuck off._ Stephen was indeed crying, despite all their best efforts not to.  The relief at having their SQUIP back was more intense than they imagined.

_'I'm not judging you,'_ Jeremy said quickly, solidifying once more and stepping forward, making themselves tangible enough for physical touch.   _'Do you need a hug?'_

If Stephen was stuck in a secret facility with no way to escape, they would've refused.  But it couldn't hurt, they mused, because honestly, they really needed some comfort right now.  But they'd be loathe to admit it at any time.

Jeremy was surprised that Stephen practically flung themselves into his arms, clutching him tightly.  He couldn't feel anything physical, but he could sense the tightness of the hold, and he returned the gesture.   _'You're going to be fine.'_

_If you tell anyone about this, you're dead._

But they both knew that Stephen wouldn't follow through.  They stayed there for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this angsty enough?


	8. never trust the government

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen does stuff. Things get confusing. I don’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is prolly the worst chapter I’ve ever wrote. Super confusing and weird and I might change it depending on where the plot goes. I apologize.

When Stephen had recovered enough, the attention shifted to how they were going to escape.

_Do you have access to the security systems or something?_

_'Not at the moment, but I can try,'_ Jeremy said.  He closed his eyes in concentration for a moment before opening them.  _'I do.  We just have to hurry, because they know where you are and that you've escaped.'_

_No, I obviously didn't know that._  Stephen rattled the doorknob, finding it was locked.

_'Use the chair.'_  Jeremy didn't look at Stephen at all, as he was still accessing the cameras, but could still sense his host's predicament.  _'You've been trained with your dad, correct?'_

_Right._  Stephen picked up the chair and rammed one of the legs into the doorknob.  _How am I supposed to know if--_

_'The locks are different here.  It might not have worked with your father when you were thirteen, but it will work here.'_

Stephen slammed the chair into the door again, hearing it rattle and shake before they heard a faint click.  _It worked._  They were slightly surprised.

_'I am defective, but I still am a supercomputer,'_ Jeremy reminded them, opening his eyes.   _'Okay, there's a group of them coming this way.  Use the left-hand corridor.'_

Stephen twisted the doorknob and the door swung open.  _Left.  Got it._

Despite the aftermath of the shocks still tingling throughout their body, Stephen managed to keep a steady pace down the long white hallways, their footsteps echoing off the sterile walls, Jeremy following close behind.   _'Turn right.  You've got a pack of those white suits heading from the hallway opposite of you.'_

Stephen immediately veered to the right, glimpsing Frederick, followed by a bunch of other individuals, charging down the hallway. 

_'Left and then left again.  There'll be a door.  Open it and you'll be in the back roads.'_

_Is there going to be an alarm?_

_'Not that I know of.'_

Stephen's phone buzzed again, and they fished it out of their pocket while running. 

_'Who is it?'_  

_Michael._

_'Didn't know you had his number.'_

_I didn't either._

**Michael:** [hey, so you werent at school today (don't worry, rich gave me your phone number b/c hes busy this afternoon). just wanna know if you are still alive.]

_What do I tell him?_ Stephen nearly ran into a wall while distracted, but Jeremy pulled him back onto course.

_'The truth.'_

_You gotta be kidding me._

**Stephen:**  [I'm good, I just need you to do a favor.]

Michael's reply was almost immediate, so it made Stephen wonder if he was just sitting there, staring at his phone.

**Michael:**  [yeah, what do you need?]

**Stephen:** [I'm stuck in this weird ass government facility and I need you to pick me up.  I'll tell you where I am as soon as I get onto the street.]

**Michael:** [ok]

_That was quick._

_'He trusts you, for some reason,'_ Jeremy observed.  _'Otherwise, he would've refused.  He barely knows you.'_

_So did Christine and you made me get a date with her!_ Stephen arrived at the door Jeremy had described, and shoving their shoulder against it, burst outside to the sound of an alarm.  _And I thought there wasn't an alarm._

_'Oops.'_

The area surrounding the facility was dense forest, and Stephen lost no time in disappearing into the trees, engines roaring to life behind them.   _I have no fucking clue where I'm going._

_'Text Michael,'_ Jeremy said suddenly, glitching wildly as he passed through a tree.

_I don't know where I am!_

Jeremy smirked.  _'Yes you do.'_ He pointed off to the side and Stephen caught a glimpse of Middleborough High. 

_What the fuck is going on?_

_'Beats me,'_ Jeremy shrugged, glitching through yet another tree.  _'Seems like this facility has some sort of cloaking device.'_

**Stephen:** [Could you pick me up at school?]

**Michael:** [yea, sure]

Stephen veered to the right and the cloaking boundary or whatever the fuck it was, sizzled against their skin as they pushed through.  It was only now that they could actually see the thin line that separated reality with the facility.  And when they crossed the street and looked back, the forest was no longer there.  _This is fucked up and confusing as hell._

Jeremy looked unimpressed.   _'They haven't done a good job covering themselves up, but now you'll be able to be picked up by Michael without them pursuing.'_

Almost as if on cue, Michael's PT Cruiser roared up, coming to a stop directly in front of Stephen, who took a wary step backwards.  "You good?" Michael yelled from the driver side window, and Stephen nodded, moving to call the passenger seat.

The first few minutes of the drive were in silence, before Michael pulled over at Seven-Eleven and turned to Stephen.  "Okay, you gotta spill."

"Everything?" The question was directed to Michael, but Jeremy caught Stephen's eye as well.

Both Jeremy and Michael nodded, their voices overlapping.   _'Everything.'_

Stephen wasn't close to Michael.  They met him only, what, a day ago?  But once they started talking, they couldn't stop. They started with first getting Jeremy and everything that played out afterwards.  When they were done, Michael whistled in astonishment. 

"Damn, that is really chaotic.  So you're juggling this whole relationship thing  _and_  government shit?"

"Guess so."

"Sounds really unrealistic but I'll take it anyway.  So, you said your mom is part of that whole shit, and your dad drinks, so where are you going to stay?"

Stephen shrugged.  "I'll figure it out."

Michael looked unconvinced, but pulled back onto the road.  "There's this empty house a few blocks over if you wanna stay there.  I'm pretty sure it's abandoned and stuff."

"Empty house?" The words sounded familiar, but Stephen couldn't place it.  Jeremy flickered slightly. "Really?"

Michael looked a bit serious.  "Yeah.  There was this kid who committed suicide last year, but I have no idea where his family went.  That house used to be owned by him."

"Oh, uh, well, won't I get in trouble?" Stephen looked for Jeremy, but their SQUIP wasn't paying attention and was instead staring out the window.

Michael shrugged. "I don't think so. I would offer for you to stay at my house but my moms aren't really open to house guests."

"Guess I'll take it," Stephen replied doubtfully.  Since Jeremy wasn't offering a solution, they had to make do on their own.

"Cool." The rest of the drive was basically Michael rambling about this video game  _Apocalypse of the Damned_  and Stephen barely listening as they tried to process everything that had happened so far.  Their neck was still throbbing from the shocks earlier, so that must've been real.  And they still had that date with Christine; since they already skipped a day, it would be tomorrow.

"--and we're here." Michael stopped the car in front of a house that actually didn't seem too shabby, one that Stephen had never seen before, yet it looked so familiar.

"Thanks for the ride, Michael." It was then that Stephen realized they had never addressed Michael by name.  Michael seemed surprised too, but only for a moment.

"Any time," he grinned, and drove off, leaving Stephen to stare up at the house, Jeremy by their side. 

_I don't want to go in._

_'Why not?'_

_A kid died in there. That is more than slightly unsettling._

_'You chicken?'_

Stephen huffed in annoyance.  _Fine._ They pushed the door open and went inside.  The house smelled musty, but the inside was relatively clean.  There were no pictures lining the walls, nothing that showed previous human inhabitance.   _This is freaky._

_'I agree.'_ Jeremy looked a bit unsettled.   _'Nothing like living in a dead person's house, am I right?'_

_Shut up._  Stephen opted to stay downstairs, as they were already uncomfortable with the situation.   _So I just wait?_

_'That seems like the best option.'_ Jeremy stuck his hand through the couch, sparks of pixels flying everywhere. 

_If you took this seriously, it would be great._

And Stephen took a seat, waiting for morning to come, and along with it, their date with Christine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I’m sorry. ;-;


End file.
